The NCIS Soundtrack
by Leonora Chris
Summary: Collection of one shots, based on the soundtrack songs.
1. My Boss Is A Sniper, Gibbs' Rules

_**— The story and any possible original characters are mine. NCIS, its own characters and canon aren't.**_ _ **—**_

 **This is my personal challenge for myself. I'll write a short story using the NCIS soundtrack _(which is up on youtube, last time I checked)_ , the title and the overall theme of the song. Some might be AU, some more with the canon, and some episode tags.**

 _ **Leo**_

* * *

He was getting too old for this. His old bones were not made for running like this anymore.

Running and then jumping over the few obstacles in his way, Gibbs finally made it to his chosen spot and then nearly fell down in his haste to get there in time.

Setting up the rifle came easily enough, but it was the finding his target with his aging eyes when Gibbs was once again reminded why he wasn't a sniper anymore. Knowing just how little time he had left, he forced himself to relax and find it. _There_... For a moment he only saw red when he watched the men beating up their already unmoving victim. It was when one of them pulled out his gun to finish the job that Gibbs started taking them down, one after another and then finally the last one; they were all killed before they even realized what had hit them.

Once again, Gibbs didn't bother staying behind and waiting for the others to arrive. He was running again, but it took much too long to make his way to his fallen Agent. By the time he was at the scene, he merely jumped over the bodies and made it to the bloody mess in the middle of it all. Dropping down heavily on his knees, Gibbs let out a cry of fury at the sight of the bleeding Agent who looked very much dead. Almost as if afraid to break the man even more, and what he would find, Gibbs slowly checked for the pulse. He almost cried because of the sheer relief when he could feel it strong against his fingers.

"It'll be alright... You're safe now..."

The unconscious man twitched suddenly and his breathing became hitched and more labored now that he was again aware of the pain. "Boss..?" The voice was so soft and weak, slightly hopeful, but without a doubt Tony's. Gibbs couldn't stop the relieved smile from breaking free.

"It's over now... The help is on the way. We'll get you out of here..." Since the moment was starting to become a little too Hallmark, Gibbs glared down at his frowning Agent. "We've got to talk about you breaking Rule 3."

 _**The End** _


	2. Tony And Ziva Under Covers

Divorce. He was going to demand an immediate divorce. Not ask. _Demand_.

His former partner once told him that he was too loyal for his own good, that it would one day come back and bite him where it hurts the most. He'd laughed and shrugged it off. There was nothing wrong with loyalty. Right? While his male pride had thankfully been saved and was still attached for now, Tony allowed another hit against his already bruised—if not broken—body and this time he was fairly sure something actually broke. Well, allowed might be putting it lightly as he was still tied up to the chair.

He never, ever, wanted to go undercover with Ziva again. All that stress and the things he did for people who would never even entertain the thought of doing the same for him. Not that he wanted it to happen, but it was the thought that would count... Truthfully, he preferred going undercover alone or with someone he trusted to watch his back. To be fair, Ziva hadn't yet thrown a literal knife in his back, but there was always that nagging fear at the back of his mind.

Another hit came, another sound of something breaking in his body, and he was starting to lose his patience. His body wasn't feeling too hot and probably didn't look it either. _I want a divorce_... he thought grimly as something smacked against his head again.

Alright. He'd had enough of this beating, of waiting someone to rescue him. Tony looked at Cord, as well as the moving room allowed him, and he flashed a smile. "You done yet?" He never gave the man a chance to answer as he brought out his secret weapon; his feet. Payback was a bitch ten times the pain he'd received, while waiting for the others to do their job and maybe come and pick him up as they did. He was done waiting.

The next time he came back to his senses it was to see the stunned faces of people who hopefully wouldn't pick up from where Cord was left. He gave another angry kick against the unmoving man on the floor and looked at Gibbs. "I want a divorce."

 _**The End** _

* * *

_—Episode Tag: Under Covers_


	3. Bag And Tag

The child had those all too familiar glassy unseeing eyes and her mouth was frozen for a quiet scream. On her dirty face there were clean spots; the reminder of her tears and terror that no one had heard. No one who could've saved her. Only the person who did this to her. It didn't matter how many cases like this they had seen, it never got any easier. Still, the day it became just another day among days without any meaning, it was the day to walk away from this work.

They stood frozen and watched as Ducky did his work. No anecdotes this time, only grim sadness and gentle brush over the little girl's sandy hair.

"Bag and tag..." Gibbs finally said. He sounded world-weary, but his agents knew that by the time they made it back to the Navy Yard, the fury would kick in. Until then they all worked in silence, quietly working through the heavy emotions, all in their own ways; whatever worked best for them. Some were good and some not so good, but they all coped the best they could. This was the work. Theirs. The worst part of it. But it was the work and until it was done, there was no time for personal feelings.

Tony glanced toward Gibbs and hoped that their boss would remember it this time, while knowing there was no chance of that happening.

 **_The End_ **


	4. Enemies: Foreign And Domestic

The betrayal was always a bitter wine to swallow and it left you emotionally unbalanced. At worst it made you weak, unless you were already prepared to be disappointed, never trusting anyone; not even yourself if you could help it. And the closer to home it was, so much worse was the betrayal.

But then if you were wise enough and knew what this job and their world sometimes was like, you'd start looking at it through the reality of ' _that's just her job_ '. Her loyalties simply laid elsewhere. Was it really any different from the times he went undercover? Where he gained the trust and sometimes even friendship or _—_ God forbid—love, knowing all the while that he would soon have to betray that trust and whatever positive feelings and thoughts they'd had toward him until then. Perhaps this was a payback for all the times he had left someone feeling this way after his own undercover works and when the truth finally came out. So maybe now he finally knew how they had felt. It was still bitter, but he would accept it and just like her do his work according to his loyalties, which were to _his_ own country. The world was mad and they were merely a very small part of it. So while he understood it all perfectly, the bitter taste never left his mouth.

Tony stood quietly in the shadows, observed and listened quietly as Ziva shared her latest intel with her father through the phone he had never seen her use before. He wondered what she would say if she knew he understood Hebrew perfectly. He wasn't fluent when it came to talking it himself, but he understood perfectly. And what he was hearing, it was dangerous. Good thing he lately always carried his small recorder with him...

 **_The End_ **


	5. Double-0 DiNozzo

Detective Anthony DiNozzo— No, it was Agent now. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. No. _Very_ Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Yes, that was more like it.

Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo walked with a slow swagger of a man after the very best. Their eyes met and she smiled that seductive little grin, which curled her red lips upwards. She then started curling her long blonde hair around her manicured finger, her other hand playing with the collar of the shirt that was one or two sizes too small for her figure. One wrong move and the thing would fail keeping things... secure. She had the legs to die for and the skirt was either one size too small or it was meant to be skin tight. Just looking at her from here, her measurements were exactly—

"Ow! Gibbs!"

Agent Gibbs scowled at his newest Agent and Tony rubbed at the back of his head. "I mean it, boss. Don't make it a habit. Did you know that if you hit someone's head enough times, it can cause some serious—"

"DiNozzo. Stop flirting and finish your paperwork. I want to get home earlier this time."

"You? I don't mind staying late if it takes that long time to finish it..." Tony shrugged. Plus it would get Gibbs out of his way if he wanted to resume his flirting with Janice. No, sorry, _Jadine_. Janice was the other blonde. Man, they looked too much alike... Maybe they were sisters? Or even twins. "I'm listening!" Tony spoke fast when he saw his new boss' fingers twitching again. "I'm young. I have a mind and life of my own after the case is closed. Well, I should have."

"DiNozzo..." Gibbs said with all the patience he didn't have and then some. "Finish early. You have steak and beer waiting for you. My door is open."

Tony blinked and then he smiled, not his famous DiNozzo smile, but it was small and oddly shy. "Oh... I'll be done in an hour."

Work smarter and not harder, as always. He was done in forty minutes. Tops.

Meanwhile Gibbs, he sent the woman 'packing'. She had no place trying to lure _his_ Agent into her and her sister's 'love trap', which meant getting him drunk and then sharing embarrassing pictures of him everywhere; their usual M.O. He really had to set some ground rules for his young Agent. It seemed like the perfect time to bring out Rule 12. A little far-fetched since they didn't work anywhere near closely to her, but he was Gibbs... It would have to do; for DiNozzo's sake and for the sake of his own peace of mind.

 _**The End** _

* * *

_—Pre-series_


	6. Aliyah

Tony knew he was falling even before he did; it was like seeing into the future, albeit only for a second or two at most. He was falling and as he hit the ground, he wasted few seconds in a world of pain. He wished he could forget his injuries, but he'd done it long enough and was now paying the price. He snapped back into the world of sounds and sight when he heard the gun safety going off, and suddenly she was shoving the fully loaded weapon against his body. They stared at each other for the longest time. She was almost shaking with fury and maybe something more, while he pulled away all the pain and any visible feelings from his face.

She'd crossed the line. Again. Although he never thought she would go this far, perhaps for the last time. And why couldn't he at least feel a little bit surprised? He was disappointed though. And sad. And angry. And then resigned. She was never going to change, she wasn't willing to make that change. She never would. She might act like a good soldier when it would suit her, but only barely. They should have never trusted her. Gibbs should have never trusted her.

She spat down on his face and then pushed the weapon even harder against the wounded man who was staring at her with such calm look that she wanted to scream. How dare he! How dare he not show her any fear even now! Did he not see that his life was in her hands? How dare he put her in this position! How dare he act like he was better than both Michael and her father; better than her!

"I will never forgive you." She pulled the trigger.

 _**The End** _

* * *

_—Episode Tag: Aliyah_


	7. Gathering Intel

He always felt guilty whenever the orders came. It shouldn't be any different from any other time, but it was. It wasn't because he'd been working here for years now or even because he liked some of the people. No, he felt guilty because he was only doing his job.

And because now and then he kind of worried that _he_ knew or was at least suspecting something, if those secret and knowing looks and secret smiles thrown his way now and then meant what he thought they did. And some of those words said to him that could have a double meaning. He was grateful though; it could be worse. If there was anyone out of them who he wouldn't mind finding out his secret and true identity, then it was Tony DiNozzo. If he was honest with himself, he was counting on it. Hoping. Wishing. He couldn't do it himself; couldn't reveal himself for obvious reasons. But if the man found out on his own... Well, that would be more of a testament to Tony's own skills of observation rather than his lack of skills as a spy. Of sorts.

After he was done copying the Director's secret files, which once again had nothing to do with the Director's own—legal—work, he put them back and made sure they looked just as they had been before he got his hands on them. By the time he left the office, he allowed himself a moment of worry again. Had he indeed been made? Did Tony know, and if he did why hadn't he done or said anything? Or did he knew the orders came from somewhere much higher?

Deciding that he should try testing the ice with Tony as soon as they had their next movie night, Jimmy Palmer left the Navy Yard and disappeared back into the night. This spy business for the higher ups was starting to get really old and he would've much rather gone back to doing proper field work. If he could have his wish, preferably with someone like Tony DiNozzo as his partner. After all, sooner or later the man's loyalty toward Agent Gibbs would burn out. It had to. Perhaps it already had and the man was simply biding his time. Well, he could always hope for the best and prepare a long speech of why Tony had to leave before it was too late...

 **_The End_ **


	8. Abby In Wonderland

Abby climbs the ladder, trying to reach the teacup hanging from a tree branch.

"What is she doing?" Ducky frowns and the others shrug. He tugs at his hat to cover his face from the bright sun. "Abigail, stop that. Come down before you get hurt."

She pouts. "But my Caf-Pow is stuck."

"Stuck? Stuck where?"

"On this stupid tree. See? It's all your fault, Duckman. I never drink Caf-Pow from a teacup. And then Tony had to be mean and throw it away. Now it's stuck."

"DiNozzo!"

"Me? What did I do?"

Gibbs shakes his head and takes another puff of his cigar. Abby frowns when her Bossman doesn't move a finger to help her. She then glares at Tony. How dare he! For a moment she's distracted by the deep beautiful sea of green in his eyes and she blinks, but the sight doesn't disappear. Wow. How come she has never before realized just how beautiful his eyes are? How curious. How curious indeed... Well, it doesn't matter. Right now she still has her Caf-Pow in a teacup stuck on that tree. After a while of trying, she starts whining when she just can't reach it. The ladder isn't tall enough and her arm isn't long enough. "Why aren't you helping me!?"

"Stop this nonsense or it's off with your head!"

"What?" Abby freezes and she stares at their Director Shepard in shock. "What did you just say?"

Jenny frowns at her. "I said stop this nonsense and get down. _Now_."

"Oh. I thought... I'm pretty sure you said... Ah, never mind." She starts reaching toward her Caf-Pow again. Does she imagine it or is it higher than before?

Tony snorts and his grin looks somehow much wider than usual. "Yeah well, we're all a little mad here."

Jimmy keeps fidgeting, looking nervous, and then he starts pulling at his ears. "I can't watch this anymore... Besides, I'm already late..."

Finally it's Ziva who makes her move. She glares at Abby and marches closer. "I will do it."

"Don't you dare!"

"Abby. You will come down now." Ziva stands on the lower steps of the ladder and then she's handcuffing Abby and pulling her down.

"What are you doing! Gibbs, make her stop!"

"Who are you?"

"Huh, what?"

Gibbs growls in his usual gruff manner. "How are you feeling, Abbs?"

"I'm... My Caf-Pow is still stuck..." She's sobbing.

"DiNozzo—"

McGee looks irritated and he moves quickly to the ladders. "I can do it. I'll do it. I'll get it, boss."

Abby gives him a watery, happy smile. "Thanks, Tim... You're the best."

"No problem." McGee looks somehow taller and he smiles that small self-pleased smile when he beats someone at one of those online games of his, or received an attaboy from the boss instead of their SFA. As he's reaching toward the teacup, he barely has time to react when suddenly the ladders break like glass and then in front of Abby's horrified eyes he falls down and smashes into pieces, almost like he's made of glass himself.

"Nooo, Tim! He's dead..! He's broken..! Gibbs..!"

"Abby, calm down! Abbs!"

It took a long time to calm her down and to get her to believe that McGee was still alive. It didn't help that he had to go to a hospital when he had broken his arm in a fall after climbing on the tall and unsteady shelves. Not to mention they had not been strong enough to hold his weight. Hours later, after McGee was back from his hospital trip and Abby was back from her trip to the High Lands, Gibbs looked at her and then the others with a serious look on his face. "You're all banned from bringing her any caffeine for a month. Me included."

She looked horrified. "But Gibbs..!"

"No Caf-Pow. Or any caffeine. A month."

The threat was one thing, but it was another thing if she arranged the caffeine fix herself... But if she was entirely honest with herself, she was secretly glad. It might just as well take that much time for her body to get over from her caffeine overdose and to stop Ducky from hovering around her in his full doctor mode. She was still trembling and had only barely stopped seeing and hearing things that weren't quite what they were. And she sure didn't need another trip in the Wonderland anytime soon...

 **_The End_ **


	9. DiNozzo, Take McGee

To be fair, although he so far had almost no good private moments with the probie outside in the field, Tony still tried to play nice and even be helpful. He'd even pushed away his own sour mood at having to deal with their newest youngster who didn't have much respect toward his own SFA.

"So. McProbie. You liking it so far?"

McGee looked nervously at his SFA. He was still a little unsure how to be around the older man. "It..?"

"This job. Our team. You know."

"Uh... It's... It's okay."

Tony turned to look at his probie curiously and McGee screamed as the man was the one driving the car. Tony laughed and turned his eyes back on the road. "Relax. I'm not Gibbs. So, you want few tips from the How-to-survive-Gibbs rulebook?"

"Um... Sure..?"

Tony held up his finger. "One: never, _ever_ question his sanity to his face if you wish to live. You need to first grow some backbone and cojones, and build up some serious defense mechanism or you'll be dead before you can say the word _but_."

"But—"

"Did you listen? He'll eat you alive."

McGee nodded nervously, although he wasn't sure if DiNozzo was only making fun of him or turning things into something much worse than what they were. That was most likely the case. He snorted as he only then realized it. Besides, Abby had only good things to say about the old man.

"Two: find out what kind of coffee he likes; study it carefully, to the smallest piece of that sludge. You do it right, it can one day save your life. You mess it up, we'll be looking at your body in the woods or the nearest dumpster."

"Right..." Now _that_ he knew was not something he had to take seriously. McGee scoffed silently in his mind and when DiNozzo wasn't looking, he rolled his eyes, completely unaware that his SFA, just like their boss, had eyes everywhere. He also missed the dangerous narrowing of the usually friendly eyes.

"Three: cases with children are the worst. On those days make sure you prepare to not get any sleep and you might even want to wear a helmet. Or at least keep some pain killers close by. Oh, and also keep some snacks hidden with you all times, the kind that don't make too much sound when you open and eat them. And water bottles. One for water and the other for... Well, you'll figure it out when the time comes. Boss has a bad habit of throwing away our food—much less take time to get any real food—and not let us take too many bathroom breaks when he's having one of his moods."

McGee rolled his eyes again and wished he could be almost anywhere else. "Fine. Okay. I get it. Are we there yet?"

Tony smiled grimly. Alright. If that's how he wanted to play it... "Four: make sure you compliment his hair."

"His..." McGee turned to look at the older man, but there was dead serious look on his face.

"I'm not kidding, he's really sensitive about it. Some childhood trauma. So be sure he knows it looks good. Five: despite his own rules, he doesn't always pick up his phone. So if a woman—redhead—comes calling or asking for him when he's not there, make sure you take the message to the boss. He wouldn't want to miss that."

"Who is she?"

"Oh, she's his special lady... Another thing to remember is that the boss has a thing for redheads, so make sure to keep out of his way whenever there are pretty women with red hair around. You might want to introduce them to him to keep him from thinking you're pissing on his turf."

It was getting more bizarre, but each time he looked, McGee only saw that same serious face. "Y-you're not serious, are you..?"

"Six: if you want to get really close with him, his closest friends call him Leroy."

 _Leroy_... McGee smirked.

"Seven..."

The rules went on for a few more minutes and even if he wasn't willing to admit it, McGee later wrote them down, which was as soon as they had reached the crime scene and DiNozzo wasn't looking.

For the next few weeks McGee was on Gibbs' black list and he didn't understand why. He'd even thrown in some few extra nice gestures and compliments. He didn't know where he went wrong, so finally he even tried complimenting the boss' eyes. Much to his horror the boss narrowed his eyes and snarled at him between his teeth, trying to keep his temper under control and failing.

"First you get all cosy with my ex-wife, then you insult my name and now this. Are you coming onto me, McElf?"

McGee paled and then stuttered, "O-of course not. I just thought that you look nice and the shirt really brings out the blue in your eyes."

Gibbs growled something unintelligible and much to Kate's amusement he stormed in the elevator with a growled, "DiNozzo! _"_ Once the doors had closed, the boss delivered a head slap and glared at his Second, wordlessly demanding him to give some kind of explanation.

Tony smiled innocently. "I don't know, boss. Maybe he's just trying to be nice?"

"I'm warning you..."

"Just a little harmless prank. I did try to play nice, but he didn't really appreciate it..."

Gibbs only glared harder and he would've delivered another head slap if not for the big mug of coffee, which appeared magically out of nowhere in Tony's hands. He grumbled and snatched the coffee. The beast was calm for a while at least. "You won't go anywhere alone with him for a week. Two weeks."

Tony's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Gotcha, boss."

 **_The End_ **


	10. Gibbs Visits An Old Friend

The sun was hot and felt strangely heavy against him and he was pretty sure that one minute directly under the burning heat was enough to turn him into a roast beef. Closing the door of his car, Gibbs looked around searchingly. All he knew from what little information he'd managed to gather was that the man was somewhere in here, but trying to find him seemed such impossibly hard thing to do, when looking at all those people with their covered heads and even some faces, which was smart and he should've thought of that. It normally wouldn't bother him that much, but the heat really was something else, like standing too close to the gates of hell... And then there was the fact that he had sand all over him and even in places he didn't want to think about, and all that before he had even stepped anywhere near the sand.

"Boss?" familiar voice spoke from somewhere behind him, sounding at least just as surprised as how relieved he felt. Turning around he smiled widely, amused how it made the younger man stare at him as if he was something completely alien.

"DiNozzo."

"Boss, what are you doing here?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Do you have some water first? I think I swallowed a few buckets of sand on my way here, even though I was sitting inside the car."

"That's what it does... Of course. Come with me." Tony was still frowning as he led his former boss inside one of the bigger tents, which was much cooler than the inside of that blasted old car. Gibbs noticed how Tony's usually tanned skin was now almost golden and while his hair wasn't blond it wasn't that far from it; as much as he could see of course since Tony's head was also covered.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked again as Gibbs took few careful sips of the water, which he knew was worth more than gold in here. The land of thirst indeed...

"How is the mission going?"

Tony pursed his lips. "You know I'm not allowed to speak about my missions. You need a way higher clearance to even start with any of the most basic information."

Gibbs smiled widely and he couldn't remember the last time he had smiled at all. Certainly not since Vance had forced his Second to quit, just so he wouldn't be once again used in some war games. The only good thing that came out of it all was that—now that the former NCIS Agent had made his name into a huge deal while working for someone else—Vance had tried offering his job back and even a promotion, only to have those offers returned without DiNozzo even looking at them. The last Gibbs had seen, before he himself had walked away, many people had been very unhappy with the Director.

"I do now."

"Try again..."

"High enough that I can be here at least."

Glancing at the heavily armed guards standing outside, Tony smiled wryly. "Fair enough... So let me ask you again; what are you doing here, boss?"

"I lost my best Agent. Had no reason to stay and had no idea how incompetent my other agents were..." At this Gibbs glared.

"Hey, don't look at me. Not my problem you couldn't see it yourself. And it was something you had to realize on your own. So once more I'm asking; _why_ are you here?"

"I... I missed you, Tony. And I can't go on worrying and not knowing whether you're dead or alive."

Tony looked amused and he finally flashed a smile. "You do realize that by being here... That I'm your boss?"

Gibbs' answer was to only smile and take another sip of the water. If that's what was needed to be close to DiNozzo, then so be it. It would be worth it.

 **_The End_ **


	11. Vance's Dossier

He didn't get it. And not for the first time either... Another undercover mission, another 'need to know', and once again the orders that be, demanded DiNozzo. Sure, maybe the man wasn't half bad as undercover Agent, but he wasn't _that_ great either. Right? Vance had tried offering them Agent McGee, and even David a few times when she still worked for them. Offered some other agents. He'd even tried offering Gibbs couple of times. Nope. They all wanted the most incompetent one of the team.

What didn't he see? What was he missing? What did they see that he couldn't see no matter how hard he tried to look?

DiNozzo was old school. Too old school like Gibbs. Well, maybe not _that_ old school, he could give DiNozzo that much. But at least Gibbs was... Well, he was Gibbs. At least his age meant that the old man's time was almost up and when that time came, he could move his focus more on agents like McGee. Agents who were their future, not past.

Once again leafing through pages of the thick files with disinterest, Vance scowled and lost any interest he might've had. He already knew who DiNozzo was. He didn't need to waste his time reading through his old files.

Pushing aside his Agent's personal files, Vance opened the case files. It was deep undercover for several months, maybe even longer. No real backup. DiNozzo would be mostly on his own, perhaps completely if anything at all would go wrong and it was outside the country. This would be one of the most dangerous undercover works, and as Vance stared at the words ' _terrorist_ ' and ' _cell_ ', he would be lying if he didn't see the potential there. Send DiNozzo in and it would keep his bosses happy, and if he was lucky enough, they would never hear from the Agent again. Or if he did make it through, he might come back as a changed man. Hopefully no more jokes and pranks and those stupid too bright smiles, which somehow irritated him to no end. Of course Gibbs might not be too accepting... But then again the old man had acted lately as if he couldn't stand his SFA, which worked just fine. The timing couldn't be better.

Vance read through the files once again. The success rate was ridiculously slim; no one else had succeeded so far and through their failures it had dropped even lower. He picked up his phone and he didn't have to wait long for the cheerful tone of voice to answer with the usual, " _Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo speaking. How may I help you?_ "

"Agent DiNozzo. In my office."

 _**The End** _


	12. Ducky's Whisper To The Departed

He took extra special care with how he treated her. He always treated them with the utmost respect, but she received the care of a dear close friend. He cleaned away the blood from her face as if it was the most precious thing he would ever touch, and he was secretly grateful that it was a clean hole through forehead and she still looked like herself. It was not much, but it was a small mercy. For her family. For them.

"Well, my dear Caitlin..." His voice shook slightly and he moved her head for a bit and rearranged her hair, just so it all looked a bit more natural. That way if he did not look at the hole, he could almost fool himself into thinking that she was only sleeping.

In his mind's eye he saw her opening her eyes and smiling at him. _"It was my time, Ducky. Time that was stolen from me, but it was my time."_

"There is always the possibility, my poor girl, but I had hoped to never have to do this to one of you."

 _"I'm glad you're the one doing my autopsy. I wouldn't want it any other way."_

"Other than coming back from the dead."

She laughed and when he blinked his eyes, her eyes were once again closed and she was still dead. Not a single hair out of place.

Ducky turned around to look at Gibbs who stood there silently. For how long, he did not know and it did not matter. As their eyes met, something dark crossed over Ducky's face. One that could easily rival that of Gibbs' own dark thoughts in that very moment. "I want him on my table, Jethro."

 **_The End_ **

* * *

_—Episode Tag: Kill Ari_


	13. Ziva Betrayed

"What is this? Gibbs, where are they taking my things? Why? Tell them to stop or I—"

"Ziva..." Gibbs spoke calmly. There was not a hint of the care nor fondness, which he used to reserve only for her. Like for a daughter, was it not? So why did the man act like she didn't matter? "It's over. We know everything."

She stared at them in confusion. Had she not known better, she would've thought that they had found out she was still working under the orders of her father, always had been, but she knew better of course. She was too good and too careful. She had formed such close bonds that she had fooled them all to trust her. She was their close friend. Partner. She knew she had done her best work yet, which was why she was so confused what they were talking about. "What do you mean?"

Tony smiled bitterly. "Your father. Ari. Everything. The evidence is tight and clear as a day now. No more games, no more lies. You're done. _We're_ done."

"You know nothing! You're speaking litter!"

"I think you meant to say... Never mind. There's this saying... How was it again, probie?"

McGee swallowed. He was the only one of the three men who was not looking so calm. Having only been informed of the situation few hours ago, he was still trying to come to terms with everything, still having a hard time understanding if this was really happening. " _Keep your friends close and your enemies closer_."

"And that's what we've been doing almost since the day you came here, Ziva."

She felt cold sweat suddenly wrapping all over her skin as things started falling into place. "Gibbs? What is the meaning of this?"

When their boss simply stared at her, with a look on his face that could mean anything and the only thing that was clear was that it was not anything good, Tony answered the question, "It means that we've kept an eye on you and your actions. Did a little spy work of our own when you were too busy being loyal to your father. You know how this goes; in your own country you're maybe the good guy—although personally I'm not so sure of that—but in this country you're one of the bad guys. We've played the game before and this time we won. Checkmate."

"I did not ask you!" she hissed furiously and had Gibbs not moved between her and Tony, she would have attacked the younger man. Gibbs had kept his eyes on her for this very reason. He had barely seen the flash of something and he grabbed the previously hidden dagger with his bare hand. He didn't even flinch at the deep cut.

"Boss!"

"Gibbs!"

Ziva pulled away. "I did not mean to... Get out of my way! Why are you protecting him, Gibbs?"

"It's over," Gibbs said again as he dropped the dagger on the floor and kicked it away, out of her reach. He nodded to the agents waiting and they secured her so she couldn't do any other damage or try to attack anyone, at least not on the way out of the building. The last they saw and heard of her, it was pure fury and cursing and promises of revenge against everyone. When the elevator doors separated her from them, Tony and Gibbs dared to share a relieved smile.

"It's finally over..."

 **_The End_ **


	14. Gibbs In The Heartland

You carry all your secrets so close to your heart and you guard them better than is healthy. Sometimes I wonder if I should admit that I know all about it, from _them_ to Hernandez and what you did to him. Yes, I even found out the truth behind that and I worry about the day when someone else will figure it out... I feel conflicted when I think about your actions. On one hand I understand, but on the other hand you're setting yourself above the criminals and the law. The law is not always right nor just, I know that and I understand, but you still took one step too far... Maybe more.

What should I do, boss? Should I tell you that I know? Or maybe it's better to keep acting as if I don't know anything...

Before I even finished my own background search on you—which is only fair, because I know you did the same to me—I always kind of knew. Just from the way you treat the cases with children and especially children with their mothers, especially if it's a mother and a daughter murdered while their Marine dad was away. I wouldn't be much of an investigator if I didn't catch the too obvious signs. Obvious to me anyway, although I wonder how many others know if they know.

You have that dark look on your face again. It was sad and almost gentle only a moment ago. You're thinking about them again, aren't you? Boss... You know you can trust me, right? I wish you knew that you can trust me with your secrets... I'm trusting you with mine. Well, like you I didn't given them willingly, but I trust you to not spread them around, just as I won't do with yours. Talk to me, please...

 **_The End_ **


	15. NCIS Main Theme

The city was a blur of colors as I hit the gas once more, testing my mad driving skills on a motorcycle. Around me there was nothing but bright speed lines of colors and light against the darkness of the late evening. The road was wet from the heavy rain, which had stopped only half an hour ago, so it was even more dangerous to speed on the slippery road. I had full trust in both my skills and my bike, but I was still going against time and trying not to count my blessings. I was thankful that the road was relatively empty and there were no cops in sight either. Of course I wouldn't notice them with the way I was going anyway so maybe I would get a visit from the cops later. Or a speeding ticket at least. I knew it was wrong, of course I did, but I had perfectly good reason.

If I didn't hurry, he might be dead before I even got the chance to mentally prepare for it. And how dare they leave me hanging like that and not give the answer right then and forcing me to take a break? As if I needed a break when I was worried out of my mind. It was cruel and not right. It had to be illegal, somehow, somewhere.

By the time I made it there, I only nicked one of the trashcans, but I was hopeful enough that it didn't cause any damage to my bike. As I made it to the door, I nearly broke it in my haste to get inside. I didn't bother taking off my coat nor my muddy boots as I staggered inside the room. I had to know... Had to find out... Please, let everything be okay... I was so tired I nearly fell on the couch, but I still managed to muster enough energy to reach for the TV's remote control and press 'ON'. I almost cried in relief and anguish as I had missed the very beginning, but at least I wasn't too late since I did catch most of the theme song. With a groan I made myself comfortable, had just about enough mind to kick off the boots, and watched as the NCIS theme was playing on TV.

 **_The End_ **


End file.
